1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reception system including a robot attending to a visitor and an operation control unit for controlling operations of the robot.
2. Description of the Related Art
In receiving a visitor to a company or the like, a receptionist typically attends to a visitor, and informs a receiver of the visitor by phone that the visitor has come. There have been disclosed techniques that, instead of a receptionist, an autonomous moving robot attends to a visitor (see Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2004-299026, paragraph 0069, FIG. 1, and Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2004-114178, paragraph 0020, FIG. 1).
In the techniques, the robot can recognize the name of a visitor based on image data captured by a camera provided on the robot or at a reception, and on data concerning visitors stored in a database in a server or the like. Then the robot can take the visitor to a predetermined place (a sofa or a meeting room). In the techniques, the robot can inform the receiver via a personal computer or by phone that the visitor has come, while the robot is taking the visitor to the predetermined place, after the robot recognizes the visitor.
In the conventional technology, however, to inform the receiver of the visitor's arrival by phone is merely in a conceptual stage, and specific procedures to inform the receiver by phone has not yet been developed. In addition to this, there are other problems as follows:
(1) If a robot can inform a receiver by phone of a visitor's arrival only in predetermined patterns of sentences, the receiver himself/herself has to obtain necessary information that cannot be obtained from the sentences. More specifically in a case where, for example, what a robot can inform the receiver by phone is only such a sentence as “Your visitor has come.”, and, when the receiver forgets the name of the visitor or which meeting room is to receive the visitor, the receiver has to take the time to check his/her schedule book or the like for confirmation. That is, there is a need to develop a reception system in which a robot can inform a receiver by phone of contents appropriately responding to different situations;
(2) If the receiver cannot hear or understand what the robot has said on the phone, and the robot simply disconnects the phone, the receiver cannot appropriately attend to the visitor. More specifically, for example, in a case where the robot informs the receiver of the number and the kind of drinks for a visitor(s), and, even when the receiver cannot understand what the robot has said on the phone, the robot may simply disconnect the phone. Thus the receiver has to take the time to go to the visitor and confirm the number and the kind of drinks, resulting in a delay in serving the drinks; and
(3) The robot may fail to inform the receiver of the visitor's arrival by phone. For example, when the robot calls up the receiver, the receiver may be away from the desk. In such a case, how to take a suitable measure is not provided in the conventional technology.
In the light of the problems described above, it would be desirable to provide a reception system in which a robot suitably informs a receiver of the visitor's arrival.